It is a reality to me that having made certain mistakes in life, I’m very keen that those in my sphere of influence don’t make the same ones.
I’m not stopping them making other mistakes. They can carry on with that. In as much as I can, though, I get the impression that I’ve made blunders to at least do my best to warn others I care about to avoid such blunders.
I’ve made some poor decisions that led to dreadful consequences. What can compound all of that however is the response to those episodes. It can be inhibiting to live in the darkness of failure. There can be the sense that there’s no point in making moves in certain areas because any hint of looking to do something might bring about similar calamities.
This is where the power of forgiveness and the restoration of God is so important. That restoration bit. So powerful. Others can write you off and discredit you and judge you unfit all they like, but when the heavenly Father says you are forgiven then that truth is far more powerful that those stuck in condemnation. The power of restoration really is to see that God trusts you to do the good works that He created you for. He hasn’t written you off, He calls you, He commissions you, He equips you and He trusts you to do all of that for His glory.
The recognition of that is not to ignore what happened. It is to actively use it in the great story about redemption. It is to point everything to God and encourage anyone defeated by failings to look up to God and see one who can and will restore as we turn from the dark of failure to the light of His redeeming love.
He restores us so that we can play our part in helping others experience that invigorating restoration.
So even if others don’t pay attention when I encourage them not to make the same mistakes as me, I don’t have to be down about it. I can point to the God who restores and say there’s hope for them.
Then perhaps they can see the use in encouraging others not to make the same mistakes.
(Photo by twinsfisch on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 